"How's the Market" February 17th, 2025 edition
Bruce Cotting, Realtor
Residential Realtor, SIlver Spring, DC, Montgomery County & more
????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????
“How's the Market?" is the question most frequently asked of us Realtors, and with good reason. The housing market is a reliable indicator of the overall health of the economy, regardless of whether you're buying, selling, or investing.? I'll continue answering the question by sharing Monday morning updates on housing market activity in the geographical area shown above.
I’ll be honest, I’m struggling with the maxim “if you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all. I’ve failed at doing so on FB, but here on a professional platform, I’ll try harder to remain…rational and optimistic. The abbreviated snapshot of the hyper-local housing market is this: for the third week in a row, the number of detached properties going under contract has more than doubled the number of new listings hitting the market.
Between Thursday February 13th and Sunday, February 16th :
During? the same period?
????????????Homes that have been on the market for 30 days or more.
In order to provide a more thorough overview of the market, I've been tracking another category that is often overlooked by buyers just entering the market. Homes that have been on the market for more than 30 days represent overlooked opportunities for buyers as sellers feel the pain of overpricing and are then forced to correct their pricing as they chase the market down. Over the last four months, this segment of the market has been where the bulk of contract activity has taken place.
In the first week of 2022, there were 32 single family homes in the 30+ days category. In the first week of 2023, that inventory stood at 93. In 2024, there were 105, and as of today, that number has dropped to? 62. As further perspective, back on December 31st, there were 118 detached properties in the 30+ days category;?
34 of these homes are priced under $1,000,000, and of those, 22 had at least one price reduction.?
?I hope that you find some measure of value, whether for your own understanding or for general cocktail conversation. Market data can only get you so far, you need a guide (like me) to use it to your best advantage. If you’re contemplating venturing into the market, whether selling, buying, or investing, I’m here to help make sense of the shifting market.